Knowing the heartbeat of God for you! Part 3

Knowing the heartbeat of God for you…Part 3

We all go through stuff

We have trials, struggles, battles in this life. These battles come for various reasons, sometimes it is the evil in the world coming through others to us, sometimes it is the harvest of sin ours or others in our lives, sometimes it is the devil if we are open to allowing him access, sometimes it is simply time for us to grow and we are provided with an opportunity to do so. If we were honest, we would recognize any of these reasons as an opportunity to grow

As Christians, we don’t want to admit it but we are still in this world and we still battle stuff…it shouldn’t surprise us, because Jesus, Paul and Peter, and James all told us we would….

Here is a list of scriptures you don’t want to know

Jesus -Matthew 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

Paul – Romans 5:3-5 “And not only that but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

Peter -1 Peter 1:6,7 “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

James -James 1:2,3 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” NASB

BUT here is a story of Jesus that will help you understand His heartbeat for you and for the struggles you walk through

To give you the complete story I needed to combine two passages for you.

Mark 6:45-50

Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. 46 After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. 47 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the fourth watch of the night He *came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”

Matthew 14:28-32

28 Peter said to Him, “Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind stopped.

Mark 6:51,52

51 “Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, 52 for they had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but their heart was hardened.”

I started out sharing, everything is an opportunity for growth….the disciples had just fed probably 30,000+ people with a few loaves and fish. Not only had they fed them but they had more left over than they were originally given….just in case you don’t know, that is the way God always works….you can’t outdo God when you choose to trust Him whether it is with time, talent, or treasure

Out of this miracle here is what happened….

Mark 6:45,46 “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. 46 After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.”

Notice what Peter is saying here, as this is Peter’s Gospel…Jesus made them get into the boat to head into the storm.

Last week was Father’s day and you might say to yourself, “What kind of loving Father would purposely send His children into danger ?”

If we only look from a temporal point of view, a “right now” point of view it would seem that way. We will deal with that in a few moments, for now, I need you to look at what happened here. The disciples performed a great miracle. It was they who handed out the food that multiplied and fed the masses and Jesus is saying, “get into the boat and cross the lake”…he didn’t warn them that the storm was coming he just sent them with the knowledge of the miracle, the violation of physical law that they performed.

God is drawing us ever closer to Him. He is giving us His heartbeat. He is showing us we can trust Him and the miracles He will do for us. We saw it a couple weeks ago with Bonnie, Ken, and Sarah’s testimonies, how he delivered them from fear and disease and showed them that He loved them

The challenge is, as humans we have a, “What have you done for me lately, mentality!” when it comes to everything…

Penguins can win the Stanley Cup, Steelers the Super Bowl, people can bless us, and God can move the mountains and we treat it all the same….”That was fine when it happened but what have you done for me lately”

The disciples had that attitude and it cost them, but Jesus wanted to give them the Father’s heartbeat so he sent them for a boat ride

What did Jesus do? He knew what he was sending them into, so He went to pray.

I believe he prayed they would have their hearts open to the Holy Spirit’s work and that the Father’s heartbeat would come alive in them that they would know that God would always be with them, that he desired for lives to be changed, to understand they don’t need to ever fear and people to see Jesus

Mark 6:47, 48a

47 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 Seeing them straining at the oars, for the wind was against them

When we understand the Father’s heartbeat we remember that we are never alone

Hebrews 13:5b,6

“I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” 6 so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.

What will man do to me?”

Jesus sent them and he knew what they would be facing. Our Father knows exactly what you will be facing, always. Nothing is ever a surprise to him he will not leave us

Jesus is always praying for us

Romans 8:33 – 35

Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

When you have the Father’s heartbeat you know you are never alone and not only are never abandoned by the one who loves you the most, but Jesus is always, always, always praying for you!

He was doing that as the disciples were facing their greatest fear, one in which Jesus had sent them, one in which He was in control. The same Jesus who broke the laws of nature to feed over 30K with the loaves and fish, but they forgot very quickly who he was and what he did for them.

When we have the Father’s heartbeat we know our lives are in His hands we don’t need to worry about even life and death because we know we are so desperately loved that until God’s plan is fulfilled nothing can rob us of life…we learn to trust God and his plan, not our circumstances.

Mark 6: 48b – 50

…at about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them. 49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.”

They are in a raging storm and Jesus walks right beside them and intends to keep walking…they all see Him walking right past him…they couldn’t imagine it. What is going on? It looks like Jesus but it is walking on the water, so it must be His ghost or something

He had to be close enough in a raging storm for them to hear him.

When you are in your storm remember He promised he would be there even in the valley of the shadow of death as the Psalmist wrote in the 23^rdPsalm…He is right there…he is not going to be an active participant in your trouble but he will be outside of it waiting to be invited into it to bring peace….the Father’s heartbeat is that you understand the storms are only there for you to know and understand what you believe, for you to learn to trust Him, that He is always with you and always standing for you!

Their destiny was not complete yet so they had no reason for them to fear death if it was their time still no reason to fear because they were going to their reward.

The story of Peter’s walking is only in Matthew’s record of this incident. Why is this important? It shows us the Father’s heartbeat for us to trust Him as well

Matthew 14:28-32

Peter wanting to verify it is Jesus said, “if it is you, then I can do the same thing you are doing if you say it is OK!” Sometimes our struggles can provide unique opportunities to stretch our faith

As much as Peter takes a bad rap for this, only two men in history have ever walked on water, Jesus and Peter

Even though he sank, he still walked on water. The Father’s heartbeat is for us to not be afraid to be stretched the way He wants to stretch us. If we fail in trying to walk by faith he will catch us.

In our battles, in our fears, we can choose to keep struggling or know Jesus is right there and is able to deliver us.If we are willing to allow him and stop our struggling and know the Father’s heartbeat that we can feel him and even see him in our struggle knowing that he is building our faith and getting us through it, making us stronger all the way.

Mark 6:51,52

This is the second time in just a few weeks where Jesus calmed the storm. Jesus’ challenge to Peter’s faith was because of that as well as the miracle of the loaves and fish..all along he is trying to help them understand the Father’s heartbeat yet rather than allowing it to happen they allowed the natural circumstances to steal their understanding of a supernatural God…they chose to harden their hearts rather than have His heartbeat

When we have the Father’s heartbeat and any trial, struggle battle comes our way we now know we can rest in His

Peace – because He is the prince of peace we have no fear of the future, of sickness, disease, finances, because He has our lives in his hands

Life – because he is the way the truth and the life. He brings life to everything, and life abundantly every struggle is an opportunity for Him to bring life when we have His heartbeat

Joy – because it is his desire to fill us with Joy, always. It is his desire to give us all that we need that we might be at peace have life and our lives are completely joy-filled this too is the Father’s heartbeat

These things are not dependent on circumstances but instead on your knowing the heartbeat of God.

May I ask you today, where are you in your struggles, trials, difficulties?

Do you understand God’s great love for you in such a way that you are walking in peace, life, joy, love despite the circumstances?

If not, allow this portion of your life to be filled with the Father’s heartbeat for you, you will overcome every time.

Remember all those scriptures we read from the beginning that we really don’t want to know? Each of them was saying, “you’re going to go through stuff, but God will never let you down, in fact, He will give you great victory through it if you will just trust Him!

Reread them in the notes if you need to, reread them often or until you get it and then you will have peace, life, and joy but come this morning for prayer to get you started

Knowing the Father’s heartbeat for you…Part 2

Knowing the heartbeat of God for you…Part 2

If someone asked you to describe yourself, how would you?

Men get their definition mostly from what we do…women derive their definitions mostly from how they relate to others..Interestingly enough psychologist say we get the majority of our definition from our mothers

However…

These are all titles names that we have assigned to us. Chances are if you are telling me in public it would all be good things but if we were in private, you may tell me some of the things that hurt.

God’s heart beat is that you would know who you are, your potential based on what He says about you

Luke 8:26-39

So they arrived in the region of the Gerasenes, across the lake from Galilee. 27 As Jesus was climbing out of the boat, a man who was possessed by demons came out to meet him. For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in the tombs outside the town.

28 As soon as he saw Jesus, he shrieked and fell down in front of him. Then he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please, I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had already commanded the evil spirit to come out of him. This spirit had often taken control of the man. Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power.

30 Jesus demanded, “What is your name?”

“Legion,” he replied, for he was filled with many demons. 31 The demons kept begging Jesus not to send them into the bottomless pit.

32 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding on the hillside nearby, and the demons begged him to let them enter into the pigs.

So Jesus gave them permission. 33 Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the entire herd plunged down the steep hillside into the lake and drowned.

34 When the herdsmen saw it, they fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the news as they ran. 35 People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been freed from the demons. He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. 36 Then those who had seen what happened told the others how the demon-possessed man had been healed. 37 And all the people in the region of the Gerasenes begged Jesus to go away and leave them alone, for a great wave of fear swept over them.

So Jesus returned to the boat and left, crossing back to the other side of the lake. 38 The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39 “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him.

Living under a false view of yourself can be very deceptive. This man was so deceived he didn’t realize he was naked, homeless or where he was living…when we have lived with a belief about ourselves for so long we can even deceive ourselves

In Revelation the church of Laodicea had been deceived so that it limited their effectiveness

Revelation 3:17

“Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,”

The Father’s heartbeat is that we know who we are so we might know others and set them free…that is where we are going today

Verse 28 How many times do we freak out or even argue with God when He wants to do something in our lives…sometimes He even has to drag us kicking and screaming to do something that is going to bless us and others…

He asks you to serve in some capacity and you fight it but once you do it you are glad you did

You call someone because you feel the urgency and you end up knowing what a powerful time you had

You don’t feel like going to church, you are tired, busy, but you make the time and the Lord touches you every time

You give knowing it is inconvenient and that you could use the money somewhere else then God pours out blessing after blessing

Verse 30 What name are you known by? What name do you call yourself? What name binds you in chains and keeps you from being all the Lord has called you to be? God changed people’s names

Abram, meaning “high father” — to Abraham, meaning “father of a multitude of many nations”
Jacob, meaning “caught by the heel” — to Israel, meaning “God may prevail/he struggles with God/God preserves”
Jebediah, meaning “friend of God” — to Solomon, meaning “peaceful”
Sarai, meaning “argumentative” — to Sarah, meaning “princess”
Saul, meaning “prayed for” — to Paul, meaning “small/humble”
Simon, meaning “he has heard” — to Peter, meaning “the rock”
Joseph, meaning “He will add” — to Barnabas, meaning “son of encouragement”

Why do you think God changed their names?

– we often get a false understanding of who we are from our environment, successes/failures, and psychologist say much of t comes from our Mothers.

– we get locked into believing things that are limiting and not true

– we don’t fully understand the way the Lord sees us

What you believe about yourself, what you call yourself is who you are or who you become.

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinks within himself, so he is. (NASB)

What are names that you call yourself?

– Not good enough

– Invisible

– dumb, stupid, idiot

– sinner

– failure

– ugly

– don’t fit in

– victim

– miserable

What does God call us?

I am loved by God 1 Thessalonians 1:4

I am new 2 Corinthians 5:17

I am no longer a slave but free Galatians 4:7 (also and heir and child)

I am a friend of God John 15:15

I am a saint 1 Corinthians 1:2

I am the righteousness of God in Christ

I am chosen Ephesians 1:4, Colossians 3:12

I am blameless Ephesians 1:4

I am a citizen of heaven Philippians 3:20

I am sealed by God’s love Ephesians 1:13, Song of Songs 8:6

There is so much more, overcomer, more than a conquer, child of God, Joint heir with Jesus

The Father’s heartbeat is for us to know ourselves through His eyes but for many of us our truth is not His truth. We see ourselves through the eyes of our frame of reference our life experience.

The Lord promises us a new name

Revelation 2:17b

“And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.”

When we come to Christ even though we might not feel new, everything in God’s eyes is wiped away and everything for us is made brand new…the old names you called yourself no longer exist. You are new in Christ.

Verse 32 Jesus already plans for us to be free but many times we need to make the choice to not allow the name to determine really who we are

Jesus already planned to set the man free, that is why he went there. Jesus went out of his way to come to the man then he went right back after he did….he is determined to set us free from the names we believe, the things we believe about ourselves…The Father’s heart chases after us wanting to set us free, the question is are we willing to be free or have we become so accustomed to the titles we have that we own them and even though he is chasing us…we will not be free. Some in here for whatever reason have chosen that in the past and are choosing it even today.

You will ignore these words, this teaching and choose to be miserable and blame everyone and everything else for your chains, bondage, lack of freedom and this morning Jesus is chasing you down

Verse 34-36 I don’t think we realize what kind of impact we will have when we realize who we are, who God calls us to be

It is selfish for us to live under that titles we give ourselves that are not from God….He has called us to freedom so that we will walk in that freedom and so others can see the miracle of our lives, believe it, be amazed at God’s goodness and desire the freedom we have.

Freedom is why Jesus came and freedom is what you will have if you choose to allow Him to bring it to you

Galatians 5:1

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Verse 38,39 when we have the Father’s heartbeat it is convenient to want to cloister ourselves away from the world and just want to hang out with Jesus but if we truly have the Father’s heart beat we know what he desires and that’s everyone know what the Father calls them, their value

I need to ask you this…do you want to live under the bondage, the misery, the bad attitudes, the victim mentality that you have? Do you want to continue to believe because of your own pride that you are somehow less than others, yes pride does that. It is one of the names we live under.

Jesus came so we might live and walk in His truth rather than the lies we believe

“For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

do you realize the names, titles thalies that you live under? Are you ready to walk in the truth of who he says you are so you might, realize His heartbeat for you and bring others to freedom?

Knowing the Father’s heartbeat for you…Part 1

Knowing the heartbeat of God for you…Part 1

I talked with you about God’s heart beat for you…

Jeremiah 31:3

The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;

Therefore with lovingkindness, I have drawn you.

Over the next few weeks, I want to give you specifics of how Jesus showed us the Father’s heartbeat in ways you may not have noticed before.

The Father’s heartbeat if to make sure you know you are valued for who you are and you are able to value others

We see each other every week in church, perhaps a couple of times a week but does anyone really know you….Do you feel like you really matter?

That leads us to another question do we believe we really matter to God?

We are surrounded by people all of the time

We work to accomplish task and goals but we don’t often feel connected or valued

We can have all kinds of success or very little success and be in the same boat…ask yourself…

Do people really see me?

How many people really know who I am?

You don’t have to be alone to feel lonely

We lead “fake” lives…facebook has perpetrated an entirely fake world where people seem happy, engaged, connected….we have hundreds even thousands of friends but no one really knows us

We have people like our post but when you ask them what it’s about they have no clue

People connecting with us through Pinterest, Instagram or Linked In but the connections are all surface but God’s heartbeat is to really connect with you

Luke 8:43-48

Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, 44 came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.

45 And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” 47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

Great story…I am sure you have read it or heard about it dozens of times but in this story, we see the Father’s heartbeat in Jesus and a connection that is real. Let’s take a closer look

The woman had been hemorrhaging for twelve years, she had no hope. She was now an outcast in her culture because of her issue of blood she was not allowed to be around people the law said she must be isolated

Sometimes we feel like an outcast ourselves, we feel for some reason that we are isolated from the “in” crowd or others in general. We feel like we don’t fit in for some reason it could be guilt we are carrying, shame, low self-esteem, fear of rejection

This woman carried all of those things being a widow or at least a single, a woman in a male-dominated culture, the blood flow was a sign of sin in this culture so she was already being always judged. She fit in nowhere because of no man in her life, her blood flow, her guilt her self-condemnation, creating an impossibly low self-esteem…it was in her feeling this way that she did something in desperation…she was trusting in the stories she had probably heard about Jesus who went to other outcasts like Samaritans and lepers. She reached out…the next verses may seem harsh or embarrassing at first but they weren’t

Luke 8:45,46

And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”

When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”

46 But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”

Do you think the God of the universe, the God who knows everything, the God who knew He was going to die on the cross and when didn’t know who touched him?

This poor woman was already an outcast already feeling rejected and now it seems she is going to be pointed out for ridicule and more rejection.

Even being in a crowd of people she felt alone and rejected and it seemed more rejection was coming

Jesus keeps pushing the button getting everyone else all excited and confused…why would he do this to this poor woman….this is somethingsome of you believe this morningas well, that if you draw close to Jesus He is going to expose all of your sin, He will reject you or openly ridicule you, when that is the furthest from the truth…

if you have read anything about Jesus he never ridiculed or embarrassed regular people. He only had love and compassion for the broken and rejected.

Then here is what happened

47 Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.

Many times if we really come into the presence of God, we have been touched by Him we feel unworthy. We think God will perform a miracle for others but not for us. God cares about so and so but not so much about me. So many others are far more important in the Kingdom than me

Remember… “he loves you with an ever lasting love” he is the one who loves you the most…

He felt that way and showed us that through this woman. Listen to what he said.. Luke 8:48

48 And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

This rejected woman, woman of low self-esteem, woman bound by guilt and shame. This outcast he calls “daughter”

He not only healed her but he made a big spectacle out of the situation questioning people causes a buzz to be about this unknown person. He took this person that everyone had rejected, everyone had made fun of, ridiculed…he made her the center of attentionnot to embarrass her but instead – to embrace her, -to value her, -to love her, -to raise herup to being a “daughter” of the King. When he used the word “daughter it not only meant child of God but one who was in right standing with God…he took a woman on the bottom rung of society and made her a princess… His words “go in peace” meant you are righteous before God, she was not only made well, became a princess, but he made her completely right and free in God. That is what the Father’s heart beat is for you today.

This is the Father’s heartbeat for the world

This is the Father’s heartbeat for every person we see and associate with everyday

Many times people yell, throw tantrums, get upset are moody because they are simply waiting to be rejected again…we have the power like Jesus to lift them up to be the princes and princesses they are called to be

I don’t want to overload you with verses but here are a few to help you remember even when you don’t feel valued that what you are feeling is not the truth but a lie

Christ has set us free to experience true freedom Galatians 5:1

“So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.”

WE never need to fear or worry, because God has got us no matter how difficult the situation Psalm 46:1

“God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.”

You are so loved by God that He calls you His child 1 John 3:1

“See how very much our Father loves us, for He calls us his children, and that is what we are!”

We all go through times of not feeling like we are important to the people we want to feel important too, but God lifts us up. You have to choose to believe it!

Just as important today is I want us to be aware that there are people you know, you see everyday, that God wants you to be sensitive to His Spirit enough, to recognize where they are and be Jesus to them as Jesus was to this woman…it doesn’t matter why they are the way they are we must try to help them and if they will be helped…set them free

The next moment…

The next moment….

We have had so many die over the last few months far more than I have ever had in such a short time period…it is on so many hearts and minds I thought I had better talk about it…I know I have been talking about love lately and believe it or not this too is a love story

What do you think happens when you die?

What will heaven be like….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYknoOBi0pE

Interesting a kids take on heaven

Here are a couple of different verses regarding the way God looks at death

Psalm 116:15 (NASB)

Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His godly ones.

Ecclesiastes 7:1 (NLT)

“A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume. And the day you die is better than the day you are born.”

From the moment we are conceived, we will live eternally! Whether it is with God or away from God is hell is our choice…I will talk about that later…but know this it is all about a love relationship

As human beings, we have a tendency to fear death. I don’t want to die either but I don’t have any fear of death. I have shared with most of you my stories, my encounters with death. I know Psalm 139 is true that. “my days are numbered by God”…as long as I am following Him, I am bullet-proof until it is the day for him to take me home.

That is where these verses have real meaning…these too are all about love.

When the Psalmist is writing about God finding our death precious He is talking about how very much God loves us and when this life is over God rejoices because we can now spend eternity with Him face to face. We can feel His arms around us, hear His laughter, feel His heart-beat. Know Him as He truly desires to be known by us.

Solomon understood that as well…he knew for those who know the Lord the day we take our last breath we are really alive for the first time, our sorrow, and lack of understanding in this life all have gone away, love is no longer conditional in any way but is 100% unconditional 24/7 there is no more darkness, fear, worry…and everything will be known…we will live in pure love forever.

But when I die, in the next moment where will I be?

2 Corinthians 5:6-8

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. 7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.”

There is no waiting place, no purgatory, no need to pray people into heaven…the Bible tells us that when we cease producing electronic function in our brains we are, as Christians, in the presence of the Lord…Jesus showed us the reality of this on the mount of transfiguration when Moses and Elijah long dead were shown to be alive with Him

Matthew 17:2,3

“and He was transfigured before them (Peter James, and John). His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.”

…However, in the moment we die, there the book of life is opened and because our names are written in it, because of our relationship with Jesus, we are welcomed into heaven, our temporary housing

What did I just hear the Pastor say heaven is our temporary housing?

Yes, you did because that is what the Bible says. After Christ return, God is going to judge the earth and make everything the way he planned for it to be before Adam and Eve sinned only this time Satan will have been bound and placed in the lake of fire…

We are not floating around on clouds, we do not become angels (we will judge angels 1 Corinthians 6:3)heaven is a real place where everyone who has died knowing Christ physically lives in all the beauty of the garden of Eden and more but it is still temporary housing because God has a bigger plan of restoration.

In the next moment….you could be in heaven but that is not our permanent home God has a better plan

Revelation 21:1-6

Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea. 2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God, Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

Here is how the place where we will spend eternity is described in the Bible

1 – While the present heaven is a physical place– Jesus came from there (John 6:42) and lives there (John 14:2,3), God dwells there (Matthew 6:9), angels are there (Hebrews 12:22) they will not always live there

2 – The new earth is a place where our inheritance is waiting. Reserved specifically for each of us. (1 Peter 1:4)

3 – We will be free of the corruption of this earth and will be made righteous and pure. (Matthew 6:20; Romans 7:24; Matthew 13:43

4 – We will be with our loved ones who have died in Christ before us. (1 Thessalonians 4:14 – 18)

5 – We will be given rewards (Matthew 6:19 -25; 25:20-21)

6 – It is a place where those things that may have been disregarded on earth will be acknowledged and rewarded (Galatians 6:9)

7 – It is a beautiful city (or large dwelling of people) with many dwelling places for each of us. (Revelation 21:1 – 27; John 14:2)

8 – There is light, water, trees, and fruit (Revelation 22:1,2)

9 – We will be able to walk in and out of the city, the city is only part of the new earth. Revelation 21:24,25; 22:14

10 – There are animals there. (Isaiah 65:25; Revelation 6:2-8;19:11)

11 – We will eat and drink there. (Matthew 8:11; Luke 22:29,30; Revelation 19:9)

12 – We will know everyone and everyone will know us (1 Corinthians 13:12,This means we will also be completely loved by everyone and they will completely love us)

God really loves us and spending eternity with him is about living for eternity in perfect love joy peace freedom and so much more there is no more pain, sorrow, rejection, fear…can you imagine that in the next moment

When we understand this, our passion and drive are not to be selfish and hold on to such a blessing for ourselves but each of us will die and the only thing we can take with us is those who we present the most powerful life-changing message.

God cant have sin in His presence so he gave us a gift of a loving son who took on your sin and my sin on the cross so our sin could be obliterated…if we accept this gift then we have the right to enter into heaven…our goodness can’t compare to God’s goodness so it doesn’t get us into heaven…God made a way and we need to share that way with others but if we reject that gift the we choose hell over heaven

God sends no one to hell, we choose to go there.

If we reject Christ then our sin load is our own and there is nothing we can do to earn salvation it is only the grace of God our acceptance of what Jesus did on the cross for us that makes the decision.

Hell is not a place where we will see our friends and party.

It is a place where people feel utterly alone, no love, joy, peace because God’s presence is not felt there

It is a place of eternal regret, gloom, depression, constant torment for eternity (Job 10:21,22;1 Samuel 2:9;2 Peter 2:4,14; Matthew 25:30

It is totally dark, alone and yet fire constantly tormenting those who live there…it is eternal (Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:44)

It is a place of constant terror and fear because there is no love there and it is only love that eliminates fear…imagine the most terrifying movie or event you have ever experienced and that would be nothing compared to hell and people will suffer that terror for eternity (Psalm 73:18,19)

When you understand this you know better the great love that Jesus has for us and for every human being…Jesus knows hell, he knows what it is like and he wants no one to go there so he willingly went to the cross..because of his great love he took the beating, the whipping, the nails, the thirst, rejection, hatred on himself for you and I and when that is rejected His heart breaks because he knows that person has chosen hell

If we understand this…how can we not share the story of love…how can we not love enough, how we can we be so callous as to allow bitterness, unforgiveness, fear hold us back from being the love Jesus has called us to be…what kind of person calls themselves a Christian and does that? How can you knw how amazing, wonderful, loved and joy-filled heaven will be and allow someone to miss that?

The greatest love story is Jesus knows what hell is like, he knows what heaven is like…he loves and adores mankind….man chooses his own desires over God’s desire and rejected him and because of that can’t be in God’s presence

Church two things

1) if you are here today and you have not made Jesus your Lord and Savior, you have not accepted the sacrifice he made for you in the next moment you could be in hell…and Jesus’ heart would break or you can come to the altar and tell one of the altar workers you want to accept what Jesus did on the cross for you, you want heaven

2) Some of you this morning need to come to the altar to repent…you have forgotten heaven and hell or you have taken it for granted you don’t know what people in your life will be there in the next moment and you have become lukewarm in your walk with Christ…The Holy Spirit is stirring you today to take the love we have talked about over the last few weeks and continue to allow it to bring healing to you, but to also allow it to soften your heart, to accept the Father’s heart, see through His eyes and allow Him to break your heart with the things that break His the condition of the people all around you who may never see heaven but are destined to hell and until now you really didn’t care…that breaks the Father’s heart to receive so much love to understand so much love and yet to not share that love with others…we need to repent so that His love will flow through us in even greater measure….I am asking you to come to the altar, ask for forgiveness, accept the gift of His love you have been given and ask Him to open your eyes to all the people around you and ask Him to make both heaven and hell real to you

Where will you be in the next moment? Where will your friends or family be in the next moment?

Knowing Real love!

We have talked about how God is love

We have talked about how God’s love for us is an everlasting love

We have talked about how God adores us

But what happens when that love is put to the test?

Ephesians 3:14-20

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.

Paul is in prison, he is suffering and he wants the Body of Christ to not lose hope

16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

Too often we don’t believe fully the love of God for us that sustains us,

How do I know? Let’s look at the next verse

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

we can walk through times of doubt, times of grief, times of fear, times of confusion and you know He is still there loving and adoring you

19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

God’s power, His anointing, His authority is not based on our perfection but based on an understanding of His great love for us…

promised in John 10:10 “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

We are made complete in life and power…real life and real power because we have come through it all knowing we are loved!

Becoming the most powerful influential people on earth Part 4

– We know we have a loving heavenly Father, someone who loves us the most

– We know we are to honor Him by living a life of doing right things

– we know the only hope the world has for peace and joy is seeing our lives as right thinking, right living, and right language…this shows the world His Kingdom and how we can bring hope, freedom and love to our world.

– we know that we have been created to do God’s will, the very thing that because of our skills, talents, and abilities will fulfill us

– we know that He wants us to trust Him daily knowing that He is a very loving caring Father who will never fail you

So let’s wrap this up

Luke 11:2-4

So He (Jesus) said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

Today we may be talking about the most difficult part of living the Lord’s prayer.

Every one of us has gone through a bunch of heartache and rejection. We have all been wounded, hopefully mostly unintentionally. We have been fired from jobs, ripped off by companies or people not paying us if we have a business. We have been lied to, stolen from and in other ways taken advantage of or taken for granted….people have hurt us!

The enemy seeks to kill, steal, and destroy and through all of these things and he is very successful.

Families and friends don’t talk to each other for years, careers are killed, dreams go unfulfilled all because of not heeding this principle Jesus taught us to pray

4 And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

When we choose forgiveness, we are taking the power away from the event and the person who hurt us.

The word translated “sins” here really means sins – a moral and spiritual debt that is owed.

We must first realize our own sin and that it is a great debt that is owed to God and as we recognize that debt, we can then see, comparatively speaking, a person’s sin against us is generally little compared to our sin against God.

Both hurt real relationship.

Relationships need forgiveness to flourishand you can not have a relationship with the Lord unless you walk in forgiveness.

Unforgiveness rarely hurts the person who hurt you, but it always hurts you.

The Mayo Clinic says this about unforgiveness

If you’re unforgiving, you:

Bring anger and bitterness into every relationship and new experience
Become so wrapped up in the wrong that you can’t enjoy the present
Become depressed or anxious
Feel that your life lacks meaning or purpose, or that you’re at odds with your faith
Lose valuable and enriching connectedness with others

From a spiritual standpoint it cripples you, it limits the intimacy of all relationships, and it may end up keeping you out of heaven

Matthew 6:14,15

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

I’ll talk about this more in a minute

Here is the trap of unforgiveness

In many cases the anger, which lead to unforgiveness is justified, something horrible has happened to you….

– some thing has happened to you as simple as a neglectful event to as serious as a molestation, rape, maybe even the murder of someone close

– no one would blame you for holding unforgiveness because the event is so tragic, at least to you, but the question is who is the unforgiveness hurting?

2) It is easy to justify that holding forgiveness from someone is even the righteous thing to do because they don’t deserve it

– It could even be that someone broke one of the commandments and it has affected you! They stole from you, dishonored you, were hypocritical (bearing false witness)

– If you hold unforgiveness how are you acting any more like Jesus than the person who originally offended you?

We don’t believe it is hurting us in any way, we convince ourselves because it is justified that no damage is being done

– We seem to be able to go about our daily business unaffected but how often does our mind go back to the offense? How many times does something we are doing on a day-to-day basis remind us of the offense? How much have we closed ourselves off from others because of feeling like they may hurt us?

– Apart from walking in forgiveness, at the very least our relationship with the Lord is hurting and most likely with others as well.

With this in mind I have to bring up a couple of scriptures

Love requires forgiveness

1 John 4:8

He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Real love requires us to walk in forgiveness but as we know the fruit of God (the Spirit) is also love joy peace etc…

This walking in love is not just because God wants it, we should want it too. We should want the freedom that comes from walking in love..

Jesus had plenty of opportunities to be offended to hold unforgiveness.He was investing his life in a few key leaders and many times they just didn’t get it

– Jesus we want to be the greatest in the Kingdom

– Jesus we are offended for you let us call fire from heaven

– don’t you know we could have given that money to the poor

– if you would have only done what we asked of you he wouldn’t have died

– Jesus I’m not going to let you go to the cross

– Jesus here is a kiss

– Jesus, who is hitting you?

– the whole thing with the cross

– they didn’t believe him at his word that he would rise again

He is love so he chose to live in love! This is what we do when we forgive. This is a reflection of who God is. Unforgiveness makes us miserable and can make us miserable to be around.

Bitterness can set in; we can develop a negative view of the world and God’s plan for us. It robs us of our joy even when we feel justified in holding it, we are still robbed of our joy

When Jesus taught us to pray to forgive it was so that we would live in his joy, love and peace and help bring others to the same thing but it is a choice, Paul challenged the Philippians to choose right choices and thinking

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

We also need to understand we need to choose to not only forgive others but to forgive ourselves as well

Paul struggled here too

Romans 7: 15-21

For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.

We struggle with sin and the struggle is a good sign, meaning our conscience has not been seared because if we did not care about the sin we will break relationship with the Lord.

God really loves us and learning to forgive ourselves proves that we trust God enough to forgive

If we don’t believe we are forgiven then we are saying, “God what Jesus did on the cross was not enough for me!”

What happens if we don’t forgive ourselves and others our hearts gradually harden, if we reject God’s love in this area, we will reject His love in other areas as well. We can eventually walk away from Christ. We will no longer want nor desire Christ forgiveness and wind up in hell first a hell of condemnation and misery on earth than an eternal one apart from God.

What is funny is the way this sermon landed on Mother’s day but learning to walk in freedom and forgiveness is an mothering aspect of God’s heart a real mother longs for their children to walk in freedom of condemnation and to be free.

What about you today?

Are you carrying unforgiveness for yourself or others

Do you now understand how much that is hurting you in your health, personal relationship and your relationship with God?

Do you want to choose freedom this morning even if you still feel the person is undeserving of your forgiveness?

Today is your freedom day…but you must choose!

The most simple basic truth everyone needs but few really know!

God’s great love for you!

God loves you

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are limited or expanded by the love we walk in!

The authority as a man of God that a walk in is based on love!

When God was speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to his people he said this of you and long before we were born

Jeremiah 31:3

“The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;

Therefore with lovingkindness, I have drawn you.”

In fact Jesus wanted us to understand this relationship when he taught us how to pray just by the few words

Luke 11:2

Our Father in heaven,

Psalm 139 1-18

O Lord, you have examined my heart

and know everything about me.

2 You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.

3 You see me when I travel

and when I rest at home.

You know everything I do.

4 You know what I am going to say

even before I say it, Lord.

5 You go before me and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too great for me to understand!

7 I can never escape from your Spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

8 If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the grave, you are there.

9 If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

10 even there your hand will guide me,

and your strength will support me.

11 I could ask the darkness to hide me

and the light around me to become night—

12 but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

Darkness and light are the same to you.

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body

and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion,

as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.

16 You saw me before I was born.

Every day of my life was recorded in your book.

Every moment was laid out

before a single day had passed.

17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God.

They cannot be numbered!

18 I can’t even count them;

they outnumber the grains of sand!

And when I wake up,

you are still with me!

Jeremiah 31:3 again

Jeremiah 31:3

“The Lord has appeared of old to me, saying:

“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;

Therefore with lovingkindness, I have drawn you.”

Zephaniah 3:17

For the Lord, your God is living among you.

He is a mighty savior.

He will take delight in you with gladness.

With his love, he will calm all your fears.

He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

1 John 4 tells us that God is love…it is not just a feeling but a person

Everything we do is limited by our understanding of how much God loves us and how we can love others

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. 19 We love Him because He first loved us.1 John 4:18,19

2 Chronicles 16:9a

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

You are called to change the world…

Romans 8:1,2

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

Resisting the Enemy – Pastor Gary Snodgrass

Resisting the Enemy

Paul and the viper

Acts 28:1-6; Now when they had escaped, they then found out that the island was called Malta. And the natives showed us unusual kindness; for they kindled a fire and made us all welcome, because of the rain that was falling and because of the cold. But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand. So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.” But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.

Malta was derived from a Greek word meaning “honey” Malta was known for it’s production of honey.

The snake didn’t phase Paul, he simply shook it off into the fire and moved on! snake didn’t even phase Paul, he simply shook it off into the fire and moved on!

Paul knew his authority over the evil one, he knew God wasn’t finished with him yet and nothing was going to take him out. Smith Wigglesworth (a well known British evangelist) when awakened by Satan himself said “Oh it’s just you”. He then rolled over and went back to sleep! Shaking the snake into the fire was prophetic of the devil being cast into the lake of fire for eternity.

The snake attacked Paul because of the heat.

When things start heating up is when the enemy manifests himself the strongest, it’s also when God’s overcoming power is at it’s greatest!

There is no situation that God can’t deliver you out of if you trust Him!

-A point to be made here is; “Be careful of what you are carrying around, it may contain a snake”! And, it could end up biting you!

-Notice that Paul didn’t bring attention to the situation.

He didn’t bring glory to the enemy by rehearsing the situation!

-Notice how the natives were watching Paul when the snake bit him.

As a result of Paul’s reaction to the snake, they changed their mind about Paul.

They first thought he was a murderer, then thought he was a god.

Others are watching you in your times of trouble and the way you react may have a significant affect on them

-Paul introduced the power of God (as well as Christianity) to the natives of the island after the devil had tried to take him out.

An important official named Publius hosted Paul and others for three days. It was during this time that Paul healed his father of a sickness. As a result, many of the natives brought their sick to Paul and he healed them.

-Even though they had lost all in the shipwreck, when they left the island, they had everything they needed!

Resisting the devil

James 4:7; Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

-Submit means: to yield oneself to the will and authority of another
-Resist means: to set ones self against, to resist or stand, to oppose
Authority over the enemy begins with submission to God
“Resist the devil” means more than just words.

-The seven sons of Sceva;

Acts 19:11-16; Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits saying, “We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

-These men were only interested in the manifestation of the power, not the source.
Don’t we do this sometimes when we seek the gift and not the giver.
We are to praise God for who He is, not for what he does.

-The devil is not afraid of your words if they are not backed up by the power and character of God!

If you want to exercise authority over the enemy, you must be connected to the power source!

Remember, never try to resist the devil in your own strength.

How do you really resist the devil

-Making the right choices when faced with temptation, spending time in God’s Word (Information, meditation, revelation, transformation), allowing the fruit of the Spirit to Produce God’s character in your life, walking in love, controlling anger, walking in forgiveness, walking in truth and integrity, attending church regularly, walking in harmony with your spouse, giving to those in need, being humble, resisting pride, staying in communion with God through prayer, worshiping God, and tithing.

All of these things are biblically sound and are contrary to the devil’s ways.

We are instructed not to give the devil a place;

Ephesians 4:26-28; Be angry, and do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil.

-We give the devil a place by not walking in love, being untruthful, by a lack of knowledge of God’s word, a lack of prayer, lacking compassion for those less fortunate, anger, lust, selfishness, striving with our spouses, not raising our children with godly principles, lack of church attendance, disobedience, unforgiving, judging others, laziness, and so on.

If the word says “give the devil no place” then you have the ability to hinder his work in your life.

-We can’t blame our bad decisions on the devil, he only gives us the opportunity, we make the decision!

Bad decisions have bad consequences!

When you put yourselves in compromising situations, you are opening the door to the enemy.

Don’t let your past direct your future

-Paul knew the secret for fulfilling God’s direction for his life.

Phil 3:13; Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

-”Remember” is one of the enemies favorite words of accusation, he so desires to keep you so tied up with your past that you can’t move ahead.

Do you remember when you did this and did that! How can you call yourself a Christian? You will never amount to anything!

-Well, let’s turn this around devil, how about you doing a little remembering also,

Do you remember Jesus dying on the cross and rising after three days?

Do you remember Him breaking your hold on mankind?

Do you remember Him giving Christians authority over you?

And, if I interpret the Bible right, your future isn’t too bright either!

-Paul could make these two statements only if his past no longer controlled him!

2 Corinthians 7:2; Open your hearts to us. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have cheated no one.

Philippians 3:17; Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.

-We can’t let our past failures influence our future!

Not believing that your past has been forgiven, means what Jesus did by His death and and resurrection wasn’t enough.

Who’s the problem, God or the devil?

-We must understand where the problems in our lives originate!

The church has made it somewhat confusing as to who causes the problems in our lives but, I believe the Bible makes it pretty clear!

Some have even believed God gave them cancer, was responsible for the death of a loved one, caused them to lose all they had, and so on.

-If the enemy can get you to believe that God is the source of your problem, you won’t be willing to resist him.

John 10:10; The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it mor abundantly.

The abundant life doesn’t mean we won’t face problems but, we know who to turn to in the midst of them.

Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope

Luke 17:1; One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting!

-Someone might say “well, the Bible says to thank God for all things”, wrongly quoting I Thessalonians 5:18 which actually says “In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

It doesn’t say “for all things give thanks” it says ”in everything give thanks”.

There is another scripture we have to deal with

Ephesians 5:20; giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
-The word “for” here is better translated “concerning” all things.

We thank God for being with us in the situation and walking us through it, and that it wasn’t worse than it was.
The preceding two scriptures would appear to contradict themselves which, of course, can’t be.

We are not to thank God for things that would contradict His Word. Abortion, adultery, sickness and disease, temptation, and so forth.

-Don’t interpret the whole Bible by one text but, rather, one text by the whole bible.

Sometimes we want to interpret a scripture to suit our needs rather than
what God meant it to mean, it’s called self-justification.

In summary;

Your past is your past, don’t let it dictate your future!
God is not your problem, He’s your solution!
Be careful not to give the devil a place!
You resist the devil by the life you live more than by what you say!
Don’ try to resist the devil in your own strength!

Becoming the most powerful influential people on earthPart 3

– We know we have a loving heavenly Father, someone who loves us the most

– We know we are to honor Him by living a life of doing right things

Luke 11:2-4

So He (Jesus) said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth, as it is in heaven.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

Now comes one of the scariest parts of this prayer….Jesus not only wants God’s Kingdom to come and that is it in our lives as we live the way He has called us to live, but now He tells us to pray His will be done on earth as it is in heaven

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

When we talk about God’s will being done in general what do you think about?

How about when we talk about His will being accomplished in your life?

That’s where it gets scary…are you afraid God will make you live in a mud hut somewhere….sell all that you have, stand on a street corner and preach

Any and all of that is possible with a couple of caveats….

Those things will not be God’s will for most of us. How do I know? God’s will for you is something that will fulfill who you are!

We need to always remember God has a specific plan for your life

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

God has formed you in your mother’s womb with a very specific plan for your life.

– You are not a random formulation of molecules put together by chance

– Each of us was specifically designed to fulfill a purpose

– We were specifically designed to solve a problem in the world

We have each been given the tools to do both of thee things and so much more

Romans 12:3

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

When you were born you were given a measure of faith….the ability to accomplish God’s will for you in this world.

God gives each one of us the tools in our toolbox to fulfill the dream that he places on our hearts

Because he created us with this dream we often think it is just a dream we thought up so we don’t think it is really something that will honor God or we give up on it thinking it to be childish or an impossible dream…we want to do it but don’t see how it could happen or don’t understand how it really blesses God

When we fulfill our purpose, we honor God…it doesn’t matter if we are a store owner, lawyer, homemaker, carpenter, plumber, street sweeper if that is our skill set, our giftings and we do it to the best of our ability we are fulfilling God’s will here on earth!

Hebrews 13:21

… may He (God) equip you with all you need for doing his will. May He (God) produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to Him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

You naturally and supernaturally fulfill His will and bless Him when you use your skills, abilities, talents, to their best he will also use your skills and talents to fulfill His general will

Which is wrapped up in 2 Peter 3:9

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

God’s will is that no one should go to hell but that everyone would come to Christ. He sent Jesus to the whole world (John 3:16)

So He places you into jobs, vocations, hobbies, and interests that fulfill who you are. As He does He also surrounds you with people that think similar to have interest similar to yours so you can share the Gospel and minister in a way that seems very natural to you. You do the things you love to do and are able to fulfill God’s will. He has given you the exact gifts you need and the personality you need to flow in the correct gifts of the Spirit to minister to every need.

So if you want to live in a mud hut God will make that happen but it will be because that is the place in the world where you will most feel fulfilled.

Once we recognize the one who loves us the most, we are in a position to constantly hear from him and honor Him by being in His word, talking with Him, thinking, talking, and acting right and believing His purpose for your life Then you because you know Him you are in a living active relationship with Him you can begin to ask for your needs.

Funny thing is if you have accomplished the first part there will be no worry as to whether God is going to come through for you…you are in a relationship with Him that guarantees he will meet your needs.

Give us our daily bread

Luke 11:3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

Here is the key…Jesus is saying in real relationship with the Father, don’t worry about tomorrow

Matthew 6:34

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring it’s own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

Jesus is saying ask because the Father expects us to ask He will not give you a snake or a stone when you ask for bread or food but realize that you don’t need to worry in real relationship…God will meet you day by day you can be at peace.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:7

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

So as you are praying don’t be afraid to ask for what you need but understand because of your relationship it really is already handled for you.

In a couple of weeks, we will wrap this up

But for today….do you know God’s will for your life? Have you rejected where God has you because you through it wasn’t God’s will are you expecting God to use you to impact the world from right where you are? Are you expecting God to give you the gifts of the Spirit to touch the people around you?

What are your genuine needs? Can you trust God in your relationship with Him to supply

Becoming the most powerful influential people on earth! Part 2

Who do you think are the most powerful influential people on earth? (Review from last week)

Politicians

Entertainers

Businessmen

Athletes

Scientist

Who? Each of these are influential in their own way but I believe there is another group of people who are the most influential people in the world.

Those who prayed and

– the iron curtain came down

– Isis was stopped

– Hitler was stopped

– the Mon Valley will be changed

Prayer is one of the keys to life for a Christian but for many, it becomes a drudgery or an exercise in futility

During the sermon on the mount, the disciples had often noticed Jesus praying they recognized the impact of His prayers and asked, “Teach us how to do what you do when you pray”

Luke 11:1-4

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done

On earth, as it is in heaven.

3 Give us day by day our daily bread.

4 And forgive us our sins,

For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.

And do not lead us into temptation,

But deliver us from the evil one.”

This is a beautiful prayer but meant to be a pattern rather than a rote prayer and teaches us to understand how to see the mountains moved.

Last week we talked about to have an effective prayer we must understand

– God as Father

– have honor and respect for who he is

– we have to live and be Kingdom minded – we have to move from a self-centered mindset to a God-centered mindset and in the process, God will meet all of our needs as we are focused on Hid Kingdom needs

Today we need to visit this part of the prayer

Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth, as it is in heaven.

To become the most influential people we must live God’s Kingdom as we pray for it…we must “do” God’s Kingdom

When the world says, “What does the Kingdom of God look like?” they should be able to look at the church and say, “Oh that’s what it looks like!”

So what are we to model Romans 14:17

“for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

It is righteousness first, apart from righteousness there can be no peace or no joy.

Think about it many organizations march for peace, but bring none. many try to find happiness (joy) in so many things but find none

There can be no peace, no joy without righteousness first.

In fact, one of the signs of the anti-Christ will be that he will proclaim “peace and safety” 1 Thessalonians 5:3

“For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

There can be no real peace without righteousness. The world needs an example of righteousness….if the world does not see an example of righteousness they can never come to Christ, they will have no hope, they have no opportunity to truly come to freedom…this is not how God works….I have said this many times but there are still multiple voices out there that do not read their Bible but they say “look at the signs of this and that” but Jesus said these are going to come but this is not the end…the end will only come after the whole world will have had the opportunity to accept or reject Christ…that will only happen if they can see Jesus in us and apart from righteousness they will not see Him.Matthew 24:14

So when we are praying for the Kingdom we need to realize we must have right thinking (thinking like Jesus) right actions (acting like Jesus) and right language (talking like Jesus) to change the world we need the Kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven but that happens only by the world seeing Jesus in our thinking, actions, and language.

How do we develop that?Simply reading God’s word, living God’s word, and praying God’s word

The Bible is the love letter of truth and freedom to the world. The world thinks they know what the Bible says. Many Christians believe they know what the Bible says but in most cases it has not been read let alone studied

You can not live righteously and allow bitterness, laziness, guilt, fear, prejudice, anger, greed, hatred, bondage control you

His truth causes us to be ambassadors of hope, love, joy, peace, grace, and freedom but we must walk in the Kingdom truth to bring it

So when you pray, “Your Kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’…it is not this nebulous prayer it is us acting on God’s word living the Kingdom, righteousness, peace, and joy

This is a key reason many Christian’s prayer life is anemic and many prayers go unanswered.

It is simply getting real with our walk of faith.

We should never be surprised that the world system is getting worse and worse that corruption grows greater every day, that sin is more rampant that mindsets are so anti God

If you read your Bible this has all been stated and prophesied BUT

We are called to be light, salt and the city set on the hill

Isaiah 60:2,3

Darkness as black as night covers all the nations of the earth, but the glory of the Lord rises and appears over you. 3 All nations will come to your light; mighty kings will come to see your radiance.

No matter how dark the earth becomes it is not a negative thing for those of us in faith because that is where the light shines the brightest people can see the hope, joy, love, and freedom more clearly

Romans 5:20, 21

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us righteousness, right standing, with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Sin is going to grow more and more, brokenness will cause more and more sin. We see it in families all of the time but where there is more and more sin, God’s grace is even greater but notice it is once again righteousness that makes the difference

The kingdom of God we are praying for is, righteousness that can then allow peace and joy that is real and the darkness is overcome.

Where are you today?

Can you pray His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth as it is in heaven and expect it to happen in your life? Do you have areas in your life where your influence is limited because of a lack of right thinking, right actions, and right language?

God’s heart is that you walk in the light that personally you have hope, joy, peace, love, and freedom always and are then able to bring others to the same.

God wants you to walk this way…most of our lack of walking in righteous is because of pain, rejection hurts from our past..allow the Lord to embrace you and bring healing to you